


No Room in Frame

by Plasticnojidousha



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:53:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24915676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Plasticnojidousha/pseuds/Plasticnojidousha
Summary: Jun is an up-and-coming idol, but nothing seems to go his way at work as he struggles to find his strenghts. Sho is a journalist by day and sings in an alternative rock band at night, playing music just for fun.
Relationships: Matsumoto Jun/Sakurai Sho
Comments: 6
Kudos: 15





	No Room in Frame

You could tell Jun was in either a very good or a very bad mood when he refused to go home after dinner. Today was the latter.

"Come on Shun! Let's go to one more place before we go home. It's still early." He said, in his most persuasive tone.

"I really can't, MatsuJun. I have work early tomorrow. And you should go home and get some rest too."

They had been having yakiniku and beer at one of their favourite haunts in the backstreets of Shibuya and were now slowly making their way to the main road to catch a taxi.

"Even if I go home now, I won't be able to sleep. I'm not nearly drunk enough for that." Jun pouted.

Shun sighed. "Then you'll have to get some beer at the conbini, I'm afraid. My manager will kill me if I show up with a hangover at the shoot."

"Fine" muttered Jun sulkily. 

Nothing seemed to go his way lately. Even though he was a member of a rising idol band, he felt like he was falling behind, struggling to catch up. His manager had messaged him earlier to tell him the director of the drama he had been in discussions with for the lead role had decided on Toma instead, one of his friends from the agency. But he'd still be cast as the protagonist's friend, he had added as if to soften the blow. His bandmate, Aiba, had also just been selected as MC for a big music special on TV. He was happy for them, of course, but he had also been trying his hardest and had nothing to show for it. He was alright at singing and dancing and a decent actor, but he just didn't have a special talent that he excelled at. He wasn't an outstanding actor like Shun, nor likeable like Aiba. And it sucked. His week had just been bad news on top of bad news. At least dinner with Shun had been a distraction, but now that it was over, he could feel himself falling back into the stream of negative thoughts, getting more and more frustrated the more he thought about it all.

They stopped at the intersection and Shun flagged down a taxi. It slowed down and stopped in front of the two friends, its door opening automatically. Shun gestured to Jun to get in. "Come on, let's get you home."

Jun shook his head "Don't worry, I'll take the next one. Your house is in the opposite direction anyway."

Shun hesitated but in the end let himself be convinced and got in the taxi, quickly disappearing among the night traffic.

Jun stood in the sidewalk uncertain about what to do. If he went home, he'd just lie in bed thinking and hating himself, but it was too late to call any of his other friends out for a drink. He started walking away from the road and back to the small streets still full of life. He'd find a bar to have another drink and try to relax a bit before heading home.

He walked through a side street with people spilling out of bars, arms linked and legs unsteady. Some sneaked a glance as he walked past, probably wondering where they had seen him before. He was wearing a hat and glasses, trying to be inconspicuous, but his group was starting to be well-known enough to be recognised by people.

He walked past a live house. Every time the door opened, the loud noise spilled out. He decided to go in. He paid the small fee to the girl at the door, who smiled, handed him a flyer and pointed at the door on the opposite end of the room. Jun looked at the paper in his hand, three band names he had never heard of were printed in black letters over a photo of some street graffiti in some foreign city. He pushed the heavy fire door and went down the stairs, music getting louder with each step.

Jun had to blink a few times when he entered the live venue to let his eyes get used to the darkness and the bright coloured lights flashing from the stage, where a band was playing what he assumed was alternative rock. The venue was small, maybe a few hundred capacity in total, he guessed, but it wasn't full today. Even though the front row was packed with fans giving their all singing along with the hands in the air, the far end of the venue had plenty of room to watch the show comfortably. To the right was the bar and Jun made his way there. 

He propped his elbows on the bar and looked at the glass-fronted fridges behind it, full of unfamiliar-looking bottles. The bartender approached Jun.

"Hi. What can I get for you?" He asked. He had a sleepy expression on his face, almost as if he was bored, but his tone was polite. He was wearing a dark blue shirt with a tuna fish print all over it. Jun thought it was a peculiar choice.

"I'm not sure..." Jun looked at the weekly special board, not reconising any of the imported beer names "is there any beer you'd recommend today?"

"We have a craft IPA from Scotland that just arrived. It's quite fruity and easy to drink although strong on alcohol." He suggested.

"Then I'll have that, please." He didn't really care about the details, but something strong yet easy to drink sounded exactly like what he needed today.

The bartender poured the beer expertly into a glass and placed it in front of Jun, who thanked him and brought the glass to his lips for a sip. It was indeed really good. Jun bowed lightly at the bartender, who simply nodded in aknowledgement before moving to the opposite end to serve another customer. 

Jun turned to face the stage and leaned against the bar. The band were still playing the same song. Or was it a different song? Jun couldn't tell. It was a five-piece with two guitars, bass, drums and a singer. The style was more like foreign rock than J-rock and the lyrics were half in English. Jun listened mostly to Japanese music so whatever musical references they had were lost on him. He didn't mind the sound though. 

He kept on drinking and watching the show from the side nearest to the bar. Without anyone to talk to, he had been downing his drinks quickly, paying two more visits to the sleepy-eyed bartender. 

He watched the small crowd of fans at the front, close to the stage, they seemed to be having a great time. "This volume of fans would be considered a failure for our group. Even for a junior group. They wouldn't even be able to debut with the agency with this sort of following" he thought bitterly. The entertainment world he lived in was tough and ruthless. No matter how much hard work you put in, the only thing that mattered were results and popularity. Jun supposed the band he was watching were indies, they probably recorded and produced their CDs themselves, and played just for fun, for their love of music. Usually he would feel something like pity for this type of band, seemingly struggling to get recognised, to get signed to a record company. However he now wondered if maybe he had it all wrong. They certainly seemed happier than he currently was: worrying constantly about CD sales, trying to appear in as many TV shows as possible, auditioning and trying to persuade directors and producers for a role in a drama or movie. Which in turn would hopefully bring more CD sales...

Jun had hoped a few more drinks would have helped ease up his stress and frustration, but he found himself getting more annoyed the more he compared himself to the people on stage. As he picked up his third drink from the bar were he was leaning on, he noticed a group of two men and three girls making his way towards the bar and stopping close to where he was. The shortest of the guys, leaned forward over the bar on tiptoes. 

"Oh-chan!" He called in the direction of the bartender, who was not busy at the moment and was looking at his phone, showing no reaction. "Oh-chaaaan!" He extended one arm forward, waving in his direction.

Jun checked him out almost subconsciously. He was cute, he had a mustard t-shirt on and he could see he a neon wristband around his wrist. He probably was part of one of the bands who were playing, but Jun had no interest in the music anymore. He'd finish this round and go home.

The bartender approached the group slowly "No need to be so noisy, Nino." he reprimanded, although his expression didn't show any annoyance. 

"The level of service at this venue is unacceptable! As a paying customer, I expect to be addressed quickly and with due respect" the guy in the mustard t-shirt said, grinning.

"Excuse me but I can't recall you paying for a drink here even once" the bartender retorted, prompting laughs among the whole group.

"You can't fool Oh-chan, he knows you'd rather drink tap water than pay for drinks yourself" said the other guy in the group. He was taller and had his hair slicked back a bit, showing a buzz cut section above the ear. On a different night, Jun might have been interested. He was wearing a white t-shirt with a colorful patch pocket in the front, in one wrist the same wristband as the other guy, in the other, subtly catching the stage lights, Jun recognised an exclusive watch that one of his friends had modelled in a recent photoshoot for a magazine. He must have a proper day job if he was able to buy that watch, Jun thought. The girls started giggling, it was obvious they were trying to catch his eye, and Jun was starting to get annoyed at their loud chatter. 

The shorter guy shrugged "The real reason I'm in the band is just so I can get free drinks."

"Oh, I thought it was for the female attention." the bartender replied calmly, while already preparing a drink without even waiting for him to order.

The girls increased their giggling, while the taller guy threw his head back laughing, clearly amused. Jun liked how the bartender was seemingly ignoring the chatter and banter, yet obviously paying enough attention to throw in perfectly-timed jabs. 

The short guy opened his mouth in mock surprise "My, my, Oh-chan, you've got it all wrong! The girls are the ones giving me attention just so they can get the free drinks."

The girls protested loudly at the accusation, probably too loudly for it to not be at least partially true. One of them shoved the taller guy in mock offense. "Sho-kun! Did you hear that? Do something about Nino!" She pleaded.

Jun picked up his glass and decided to look for a quieter spot to finish his drink in peace. As he turned around on his feet, he felt something touch his back. Startled, he jumped and suddenly felt something cold and wet against his chest. He looked down to see his white t-shirt drenched in the remains of his beer. Jun hated being approached from the back, and his overreaction had made him spill the drink all over himself. 

The guy with the expensive watch, who had retreated suddenly to avoid another shove from the girl and bumped into Jun, was quick to apologise. "Ah... I'm so sorry. I didn't notice. Are you okay?" He addressed Jun in a polite way.

Jun wasn't even listening. It was just his luck that the night would end like this, considering the bad spell he was going through. He sighed, placing the empty glass back on the bar without turning to face the guy.

"I'm really sorry. Please let me buy you another drink as an apology" he said. When Jun didn't respond he touched Jun lightly on the shoulder "Um... are you alright?" He asked, in a concerned tone. 

With an abrupt movement, Jun shaked the guy's hand off his shoulder and turned around to face him, the sudden movement making him dizzy. He was more drunk than he had thought. With a scowl he said "What do you think you're doing?"

The guy's polite smile froze on his lips at Jun's words, he looked down at the wet stain in Jun's clothes and took a few seconds before answering. "Listen, I'm really sorry. At least let me get you a brand new t-shirt from our merch so you can get changed." He offered.

Jun laughed "Do you really think I'm going to wear your shitty band's t-shirt?" He could feel all his pent-up frustration and rage spilling out with his words. Somewhere deep inside his foggy brain he knew he was being an asshole, yet he wasn't able to stop himself. "I'm not that desperate. Who do you think you are?"

The guy was now obviously taken aback, looking at Jun with a confused expression in his face. The shorter guy had now turned his attention to Jun too, still standing on tiptoes at the bar. 

Jun went on, a mocking smile on his lips. "There's so much fucking empty space in here, you didn't have to bump into me. Instead of drinking, you should be asking yourself why there's only this pathetic crowd wanting to see your band." 

"What the hell is wrong with you?" The shorter guy had turned away from the bar and took a few steps towards him.

"If it were me, I would just quit." Jun went on, ignoring the question.

The short guy, now visibly angry, tensed his arms and took a couple more steps towards him "Say that again and I'll wipe that smug smile off your face, jerk." He warned Jun.

Jun hadn't imagined he would end his night in a fight. He hadn't been in a fight since elementary school, but he was riding a drunken adrenaline high and was not going to back down. He stared at the short guy who was standing a few paces away, looking at him menacingly, but before he could reply the other guy stepped in. He grabbed his friend by the elbow, as if holding him back, "Just let it go, Nino." He said, shaking his head.

Jun could see the short guy hesitate and, in a moment of clarity, he took his chance to make his exit unscathed. He threw another dirty look at the two friends and turned around without a word, up the stairs and out onto the side streets of Shibuya. There were less people outside by now and Jun walked slowly down the street to the corner where he stopped, leaning against the wall, unable to repress a laugh anymore. "Me? A fight in a club? That's the most stupid thing I've done in a long while!" he thought to himself, laughing out loud, his previous frustration forgotten temporarily "I could really have gotten my ass kicked!". After a few minutes, his sides hurting from laughing, he composed himself and carried on walking towards the main road to find a taxi in high spirits. He was sure he was going to sleep like a baby tonight.

**Author's Note:**

> the title for this story comes from a Death Cab for Cutie song included in the album "Kintsugi". It's a breakup song, don't say I didn't warn you.


End file.
